Title: Leave Behind
Rating: PG
Pairings: NaruSakuSasu, ShikaTema, ChouIno, ShinoOC, KibaHina, LeeOC, NejiTen.
Summary: The task given to every Shinobi of Konoha is to inherit and pass on the Will of Fire. It's the same for the generation of the Rookie 9 and Team Gai. Each one of them will leave behind a piece of Konoha's future.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, it'd be fun to though!
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The life of a Shinobi is that of a tool.
When is a tool most likely to be broken? When it is in use.
Most Shinobi expect to die in battle. And that doesn't bother them.
It doesn't bother them because they are doing it for their village and the people they hold dear within the village.
Naruto. Sasuke. Sakura. Shikamaru. Chouji. Ino. Kiba. Shino. Hinata. Neji. Lee. TenTen.
Each one of those particular Shinobi expected to die in battle.
Funny thing is, they didn't. And each of them left something behind to carry on the Will of Fire.
Naruto. Sasuke. Sakura. Team 7. Hatake Kakashi's single team of Genin. The Fox, the Traitor, and the Healer.
At age 17, they were each assigned a pair of Genin and trained them. Each of them went on to become high ranking Shinobi of the Leaf, and decided to devote themselves to training their own sets of Genin.
Naruto became the Rokudaime Hokage of Konohagakure at age 19.
Sasuke became head of ANBU and the right hand man of the Hokage also at age 19.
Sakura was able to show them up a little bit, as she was given full leadership of the Medic-nins at age 18.
At age 20, he found some crazy loop hole through the multiple marriages law, and became the devoted husband of both Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke.
Also at age 20, the first of the three's children was born. With his pink hair, deep blue eyes, and his awakening of the Sharingan at age 9, not even Tsunade was sure of what happened. They could not have been more overjoyed, nonetheless. Though Sasuke wasn't sure what he was going to do with a pink-haired son.
Due to a certain mishap involving a lost dare, too much sake, and improper use of the Sexy-no-jutsu, Naruto managed to 'mother' Sasuke's child at age 21. Tsunade was forced to come out of temporary retirement until the Rokudaime was back in perfect health. To make up for it, he named the child with the dark hair and bright eyes after her.
Their final three children were created out of love and peer-pressure. Mostly peer-pressue, though. After experiencing the joys of motherhood themselves, Naruto and Sakura took it upon themselves to make sure Sasuke didn't miss out on the fun. When Sasuke heard he was having triplets, he promptly passed out. And after making sure him and the babies were perfectly alright, his two teammates passed out as well, though they were passed out due to lack of oxygen from laughing so hard. The three of them were all 23 at the time. From the traits passed on, two of the children belonged to Naruto and the other Sakura. Ino would never let her live it down.
They made the decision to retire together, and passed on their positions at age 54.
No one's sure who died first, they were found dead in their bed with their arms wrapped around each other at age 99.
And they left five of their blood to carry the Will of Fire. And countless unrelated others from just being in their presence.
Shikamaru. Chouji. Ino. Team 10. Students of Sarutobi Asuma. Third generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho formation.
Not one of the members of Team 10 passed on a Genin team.
Shikamaru.
During part of Tsunade's reign as Hokage, and through Naruto's full term, Shikamaru was the official Strategizer of Konoha. He was never given this title, but it was one of those unspoken contracts. Still, it was always a troublesome job.
At age 18 he claimed to have been dragged into the most troublesome part of his life. Though, if you were to ask anyone except his wife, Sabaku no Temari, they'd swear he went willingly.
At age 19 he became the father of a beautiful blonde daughter with onyx eyes. His quote on the matter was, "All my life, I've been surrounded with troublesome blonde women."
Later, at age 25, his son met the world with blinking blue eyes and dirty blonde hair. He inherited his father's laziness and was the first and only person to have ever beat Shikamaru at Shogi. Those matches literally lasted for days.
The moment Naruto retired, he followed suit. He claimed his job was done, and went on the rest of his life playing various strategy games.
He died sitting in his chair, looking over the last game of Shogi he ever played.
Some people get everything they want.
He passed on two blood members the torch of the Will of Fire.
Chouji. Ino.
Chouji, being a lover of foods, was appointed to be in charge of developing dietary supplements and easy-carry foods for the Shinobi of the village. He denies all accusations of being at fault for the shortage of foods that same week he was appointed. But the grin tells the truth for him. This happened a mere two days after Naruto's inauguration as Hokage.
Ino had a vastly different talent. She was put in charge of an elite Kunoichi unit that specialized in stealth-seduction missions. She was given the job three days after Naruto's inauguration. He was planning to give the job to her, but just hadn't gotten around to it. He did though, after Ino came in demanding some sort of authority since both of her teammates had some power or other.
After Ino's umpteenth attempt at getting Chouji to diet, he got fed up, pulled her to his body and told her, "Would to really want me to lose weight? Feel how squishy and comfortable I am. And all of it belongs to you." All of her friends were awoken that night at midnight, and they all were dragged to the Hokage tower to witness Naruto marrying them.
Nine months later, on Ino's 20th birthday, she gave birth to twin girls. Chouji and Ino claimed they were perfect. And they were so well behaved, so Chouji took them to work with him every day until they were off to the Academy.
Chouji loved his job so much, and he was so very skilled at it, he never retired. Ino retired a day after Sakura did, overlooking that she got her position later than her, then proclaimed that she worked harder and longer than 'The Forehead-Girl.' She then worked at the Yamanaka flower shop for the rest of her life.
Ino died first, the day after her and Chouji's 75th wedding anniversary. Chouji, heartbroken, followed suit three days later.
The Konoha Will of Fire ran through the veins of two who had the blood of a Yamanaka and an Akimichi.
Kiba. Shino. Hinata. Team 8. The last pupils of Yuuhi Kurenai. The Brash, the Indifferent, the Shy.
Shino.
Shino was the only member of Team 8 to pass on a Genin team. He was lucky to get such skilled Shinobi to train, and they were quickly passed onto Chuunin before even a year passed.
Back when Shino was 19, the Kamizuru Clan requested peace with the Aburame Clan. Shibi sent Shino to work out a treaty. He came back with a barely slightly lighter air about him. Kiba suggested perhaps he met a woman within the clan. And for once Kiba was right. The marriage between the two clan members sealed the peace between the Clans.
Morino Ibiki once wondered if the Kikaichuu in the bodies of the Aburame members could be beneficial for interrogating. When he approached Shino and asked him about the Kikaichuu and their possible interrogating purposes, he was given the response, "Yes, the beetles can inflict great pain and even poisons by burrowing within human flesh. If you see that as a satisfactory torture method, please say so." Later, when Shino was 23, he was given the title of head of Interrogation.
Shino had only one child with his wife. He was born when Shino was 32 years old, much younger than the children of the Shinobi of Shino's generation.
He retired age 60 and died a year later, having fulfilled his life.
He left behind one. But one Konoha Shinobi carrying their trademark Will can make a lot of difference.
Kiba. Hinata.
Hinata became pregnant at age 19 with Kiba's child. It would be six months until they were married, though. Kiba claimed that you could never start too early, and Hinata just blushed.
With the senses only an Inuzuka possesses, Kiba was officially appointed as head of the Tracking unit at age 20. This was a mere week after his wedding with Hinata.
After becoming clan head, and with some help from Naruto, Hinata gave her position to her cousin, Neji.
During her first pregnancy, Hinata was sent on a negotiating mission. She was five months along, and coincidentally the other village agreed to all the terms, though Konoha was sure they would decline many of the terms. Naruto knew from experience that you should never argue with a pregnant woman.
So Hinata became the official Negotiator between villages. Her calm demeanor and ehm… high fertility rate made her perfect for the job.
As mentioned before, the first child between Kiba and Hinata came earlier than expected in their lives, but they'd never regret it.
Only three months after their first baby, Hinata became pregnant again, this time with quadruplets. Kiba looked so proud he could burst. Hinata just looked like she could burst. Three boys and one girl. Each along with their elder sister bearing the pale Byakugan.
Despite even that, they had another baby four years later. This one a boy. He was the spitting image of Kiba, aside from the eyes.
Later that year, a cousin of Kiba's and her husband were killed in a dangerous mission, they had a two year old daughter that Kiba and Hinata took in with open arms.
Their final additions came completely unplanned two years later, but neither parent would turn away a child so they definitely couldn't turn away two.
Both Kiba and Hinata retired with the Rokudaime and helped raise their many grandchildren and great-grandchildren until Kiba died at age 96. Hinata followed two years later.
Eight Hyuuga-Inuzuka children were given the Will of Fire, and even one stray Inuzuka had it passed on to her.
Neji. Lee. TenTen. Team Gai. The Caged Bird, The Green Beast, The Weapons Mistress.
Lee.
Rock Lee passed on 9 Genin teams in his lifetime. Any one of his close friends would swear to you that he just loved to be called "Lee-sensei".
After his final team he still continued to be "Lee-sensei" and taught advanced Taijutsu courses at the Academy.
Lee later married a Suna ninja at age 26 whom he met through Gaara. He was completely head over heels for her, and she shared his feelings.
Unfortunately, when she was eight months pregnant with their first child, she hit by an enemy nin in the bordering forests of Konoha. She didn't survive, but Sakura was able to save the baby through cesarean section and Lee was now a single father to a newborn daughter.
Lee continued to teach at the Academy with his great green energy, though he never fully recovered from his wife's death.
He retired at age 60 and died at age 78 from sudden complications as were results of the injuries he sustained in his first ever Chuunin exams.
He passed it onto one sharing his blood, but the Will of Fire was also passed through the generations that went through his teachings at the Academy.
Neji. TenTen.
Neither Neji nor TenTen trained teams of Genin.
Neji lost his Caged Bird seal and gained the title of Clan Head of the Hyuuga clan at age 21. It was a bit of a shock, but he could finally slightly relax for there was no main branch to bear a grudge to. Later that year he would become the Second in command of the Council below the Hokage.
TenTen was asked to become the Head of Weapon Development at age 20. She just couldn't decline, it had been her dream job since the first time she ever held a kunai. She was able to create weapons that no one could even dream of before.
Neji and TenTen had been casually dating off and on since their days as Team Gai, and shortly after Neji was announced as Clan head he asked her to marry him. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that she would say yes.
Their first child came at age 22 on their first wedding anniversary. She looked very much like Neji's mother.
Their second child came two years later and he constantly clung to Neji. The little boy just couldn't say away from his father, and rarely spoke. He reminded Neji of Hinata.
Neji nor TenTen retired from their respective positions in the village. TenTen died first, at age 98, and Neji didn't wait much longer to meet her in the afterlife.
They left two behind. Two to be the future of Konoha.
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Some would say that they got all their jobs just because they were friends with the Hokage, others would say it was because they were best for the job. But they knew better. They knew it was both and more than that.
They knew it was because they inherited the Will of Fire.
They knew they had to pass it on. Twenty-two received it by blood. Countless others received it through mere association with any on of them.
And from wherever one goes when they die, the ghosts of the past knew that they left this world in the right hands.
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This idea had been on my mind for a while now, and it didn't want to leave.
So I wrote it. It wasn't exactly as I planned, but I do like it. And I plan to make many of the scenarios into one-shots or chaptered stories in the future. I even have some of them started.
And why was I so cruel to Lee? I love Lee, but for some reason I had to be cruel to him. I'm sorry Lee. -hugs-
Thanks for reading, and review if you can!